Can-labeler.



w. A. BASTHAM.

CAN LABELER. APPLICATION FILED BBP'1'.28,1911.

Patented May 7, 1912.

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w. A. BASTHAM.

CAN LABELEB.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28,1911.

Patented May "7, 1912 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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W. A. EASTHAM.

CAN LABELER.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT.2B,1911.

Patented May 7, 1912.

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w. A. EASTHAM.

CAN LABELER. 1,025,613.

AIPLIOATIOH FILED SEPT. 28,1911.

Patented May 7; 1912.

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WILLIAM A. EASTHAM, 0F NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

CAN-LABELER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May '7, 1912.

Application filed September 28, 1911 Serial No. 651,775.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. EAs'r- HAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nashville, in the county of Davidson, State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can-Labelers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to can labelers and has for an object to generally simplify and improve devices of this character.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel labeling device which will be controlled by movement of the cans in the can trough.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a label receptacle which will have novel means for elevating a label to contact with a pasted can, this means being controlled by the movement of a can along the can trough prior to pasting.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means for advancing the labels from the receptacle to a tilting leaf which applies the raised label to the can after the latter is supplied with an envelop of paste, this means being controlled by a novel trip which is operated by passage of a can along the can trough after being labeled.

A still further object is to provide a means for permitting of the cans one at a time passing along from the supply end of the trough in such spaced relation as to properly actuate the can labeling mecha nism.

With the above objects in view the invention consists in certan novel details of construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood that various modifications may-v be made in the minor details of construction within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification :--Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device showing the parts in position for labeling a can. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device. Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 4L1- Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view of the device taken on the line 55 Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the label holder.

Referring now to the drawings in which manner to a motor.

and upper sides of the cable.

like characters of reference designate similar parts, 10 designates an inclined trough comprising spaced sides 11 which are preferably L-shaped in cross sections and are held in spaced relation by substantially U- shaped clamps 12 which are removably attached to the sides by screws or the like 13 and may be replaced with similar clamps of greater or less cross diameter in order to permit of the sides being spaced apart sufficiently to receive various sizes of cans. The trough may be supported in any desired manner, in the present instance spaced legs 14 being arranged in pairs adjacent to the upper and lower ends of the trough to attain this end.

Secured to the sides of the trough adjacent to the highest end of the latter are spaced pedestals 15 in which is journaled a driving shaft 16, this driving shaft being equipped intermediate the pedestals with a grooved pulley 17 and further being equi ped at one end with a driving pulley 18 w ich maybe connected in any preferred Secured to the sides of the trough at the opposite end of the latter are a pair of pedestals 19 in which is journaled a shaft 20 the shaft being equipped intermediate the pedestals with a grooved pulley 21. Over the grooved pulleys 17 and 21 is trained an endless flexible cable 22, the lower side of this cable extending longitudinally of the trough and being spaced such a distance therefrom as to contact with the uppermost sides of cans carried within the trough as shown. For maintaining the cable taut a pair of standards 23 are fixed to the sides of the trough and mounted in suitable longitudinal grooves 24 and 25 in these standards are the journals of idlers 26 and 27, these idlers bearing upon the lower Arranged at spaced intervals upon the sides of the trough are pairs of standards 28 which are equipped at their upper ends with grooves 29 to receive the journals of idlers 30 which bear upon the lower side of the cable,

The label receptacle preferably consists of a series of four posts 31. The posts adjacent to their lower ends are connected by an upwardly inclined wall or bottom 32, and are further provided in their corners with grooves 33 which form guides for the label rack. From the side edges and rear edge of the bottom rise fingers 34 which form a housing for the stack of labels 35. The label rack comprises a bottom 36 which inclines upwardly and bears upon the bottom 32, and contacts with its edges the fingers 34 the latter directing the sliding movement of the bottom. By virtue of the bottom sloping downwardly, the labels will all slant downwardly. Journaled in suitable bearings 37 secured to the edges of the bottom 32 and to spaced slats 38 which connect the upper ends of posts, are worm shafts 39, these worm shafts extending through the bores of worm nuts &0 which are fixed to the side edges of the label rack bottom 34. It is now clear upon the rotation of the worm shafts, that the label rack will be raised vertically between the guide posts. The worm shafts are rotated step by step, so that the rack is raised step by step, and simultaneously with each step elevation of the rack, the uppermost label is automatically removed from the top of the stack and applied to a pasted can so that the level of the stack of labels remains constant.

For actuating the label rack, a stub shaft 41 is journaled in suitable bearings 42 carried upon the bottom face of the bottom 32, and the opposite ends of this shaft are equipped with bevel gears 13 which mesh with bevel gears 44L arranged upon the lower ends of the worm shafts. Centrally dis posed on the shaft 41 is a ratchet wheel 45. A hanger 46 is fixed to the bottom of the trough, and pivotally secured intermediate its ends to the lower end of this hanger is a rock lever 17 one end of which is sharpened as shown at 48 and engages the ratchet wheel in the nature of a pawl and actuates the ratchet wheel during rocking of the shaft. One leg 49 of a toggle lever is secured at its lower end to the opposite end of the rock lever, and projects up through a slot formed in the bottom of the trough, this projecting end being pivotally attached as shown at 50 tothe extremity of the mating leg 51 of the toggle lever. A shifting link 52 is pivotally connected at one end to the leg 51 and at its opposite end to a short stop lever 53 which extends up through a suitable slot formed in the bottom of the trough and is equipped with a roller 54. This roller bears against the terminal can of the series of cans to be labeled and prevents the advance downward in the trough of the series, which in the present instance is designated by the numeral The leg 51 of the toggle lever extends beyond the pivotal connection of the shifting link and is equipped with a weight 56 which is adjustably secured to the leg by means of a set screw or the like 57.

It is now clear that upon passage of one of the cams 55 over the pivoted ends 50 of the toggle lever that the toggle lever will be actuated, thereby depressing the rock lever 47 i above described causing a step elevation in the label rack. After the can has passed over the pivoted ends of the toggle lever legs, the weight will return the toggle lever to its initial position and cause the pointed end of the rock lever to operatively engage the ratchet wheel for advancing the latter one step upon the next can of the series dopressing the trip lever.

The toggle lever and shifting link may be mounted in any preferred manner, in the present instance a plurality of hangers 58 three in number being secured to the bottom of the trough and provided with slots 59 adjacent to their lower ends for the reception of the toggle lever leg 51 and shifting link 52. Furthermore a downwardly inclined plate (30 is fixed to the bottom of the trough and forms a guide to direct the n'iovement of the roller It will be noted that upon the toggle lever being actuated as above described by a can passing over the pivoted ends of the toggle lever legs the shifting link will be moved upwardly and outwardly, and pull downward the stop link 53, thus releasing the terminal can of the series. The weight 56 returns the stop lever to its normal position at the same time it returns the toggle lever to its normal position.

As above stated during each step actuation of the label rack, the uppermost label is removed from the stack, and to attain this end I provide a trip lever 61 which is pivoted intermediate its ends to a hanger (32 depending from the bottom face of the trough and has its upper end projecting through a suitable slot in the trough and then bent at an angle to the main body of the link as shown at 63. A link 64: is connected at one end to the lower end of the link 61 and overhangs with its opposite end the stack of labels. The overhanging end of the link is equipped with a transverse finger 65 which is preferably formed of rubber or the like and contacts with the uppermost label of the stack. Upon depression of the bent end (33 of the lever 61 during passage of a can thereover, the link 61 will be rocked on its pivot, thereby moving forwardly the link ('54-, and causing the fingers 65 of this link to move the uppermost label forwardly oil from the stack. After the can has passed beyond the bent end of the link, the pivoted ends of both links will gravitate and both .links assume theirlnorm al positions so that the above operation may be again repeated upon the passage of the next can of the series over the bent end of the link.

In order to elevate the label which has been shoved forwardly from off the stack of labels as above described, into contact with a can, a leaf 66 is hinged at one edge to a pair of the posts 31, and is equipped on its top face with a rubber or like plate 67. Upon the said uppermost label being advanced from off the stack of labels, it moves onto the top face of the leaf 66. Simultaneous with this advance of the label 011 the leaf the leaf is rocked upward as will be presently described, and moves through the open bottom of the trough. The advance of the cans along the trough is so timed that a can will be moved by the cable into registration with the leaf at the instant the leaf 66 is rocked upward. The paste will have been applied to the can prior to this; so that upon rocking of the label into contact with the can by the leaf 66, the label will stick to the can, and upon a continued rotation of the can down the trough by the cable will be rolled upon the can.

For actuating the leaf 66, a rock lever 69 is pivotally connected intermediate its ends to a hanger 70 depending from the bottom face of the trough, one end of this lever underlying the leaf and being equipped with a roller 71 which engages with the bottom of the leaf. The opposite end of the lever is pivotally connected to the leg 49 of the toggle lever as shown at 72-. Thus it will be seen that upon actuation of the toggle lever by a cam passing thereover, three simultaneous operations take place. First, a can is released from the series of cans second, the label rack is elevated one step, and finally: the hinged leaf is rocked up and applies the label to a can. The trip lever 61 operates alternately with the hinged leaf so that the latter is continually supplied with labels during its moments of rest. From the above it will be seen that at the instant that a can is fed into the trough from the series of cans at the supply end of the trough, a labeled can is discharged from the discharge end of the trough.

For supplying the cans with paste, a paste reservoir 73 is supported above the trough by legs 74 attached to the trough sides. Secured in the reservoir bottom are two pairs of supply pipes 75, the lower ends of which communicate with the hollow stems 76 of brushes 77. The brushes of each pair of brushes are disposed on opposite sides of the lower side of the cable, and extend v slightly below the cable in order to bear forcibly upon the cans as they are moved along the trough by the cable. One pair of the brushes is arranged on each side of the opening in the trough so that the circular wall of a can will be acted upon by one pair of the brushes before the can has advanced into registration with the opening, and after the label has been applied to the can, the mating pair of brushes will bear upon the label and apply paste to the leading portion of the outer face of the label, to which the free end portion of the label is applied as the can is rolled down the trough. Any preferred means of removably securing the brushes to the paste supply pipes may be employed, the stems of each pair of brushes being shown herein projecting through open ings in a cross bar 78, the opposite ends of which are removably secured to the standards 79 carried by the sides of the trough by set screws 80.

For smoothing out any blisters or the like which may be formed underneath the labels, a standard 81 is fixed to one side of the trough, this standard being equipped at its upper end with a tubular bearing 82 in which is detachably secured a brush 83 of rubber or the like, this brush extending horizontally across the trough and bearing with such a pressure upon the labeled can as it is moved down the trough by the cable, as to effectively remove air blisters and accumulations of paste.

What is claimed is 1. In a can labeling device, a can trough, a toggle lever operated by the passage of a can along said trough, a label receptacle, an inclined bottom for said receptacle movable vertically therein, means connected with said toggle lever for advancing said bottom step by step, can operated means for moving the labels in succession from said receptacle, and means operated by said toggle lever for elevating the free end of a label into contact with a can.

2. In a can labeling device, a can trough, a toggle lever having a portion projecting into said trough and arranged to be depressed by passage of a can thereover, a label receptacle, a hinged leaf on said receptacle, an inclined bottom movable in said receptacle, means connected with said toggle lever and said bottom and operating to advance the bottom step by step, means connected with said toggle lever and said hinged leaf and operating to rock the latter upward at each step actuation of the bottom, and means for advancing the label out of said receptacle onto said hinged leaf.

8. In a can labeling device, a can trough, a can operated toggle lever, a label receptacle below the trough, a label elevating device carried by said receptacle and operated by said toggle lever, a tilting leaf operated by said toggle lever, can operated means for advancing labels in succession from said receptacle to said tilting leaf, said tilting leaf projecting through the bottom of said trough and being adapted to apply a label to a can rolling in the trough, and means for applying paste to the can prior to the application of the labels thereto by said leaf.

4. In a can labeling device, a can trough, a toggle lever having its elbow projecting through the bottom of said trough and adapted to be depressed by passage of a can thereover with resultant actuation of the toggle lever, means operated by said toggle lever for feeding cans at spaced intervals from the can supply into said trough; means for advancing said cans in spaced relation in said trough, a labelreceptacle having a tilting leaf projecting through the bottom of said trough, means for feeding labels from said receptacle on to said leaf, and means for rocking said leaf whereby to apply the label thereon to a can rolling in the trough.

5. In a can labeling device, a can trough, a toggle lever projecting through the bottom of the trough and actuated by passage of cans thereover, a label receptacle below the'trough having a vertically movable bottom, a tilting leaf carried by said receptacle and adapted to project through the bottom of said trough, means actuated by said toggle lever for simultaneously elevating WILLIAM A. EASTHA M.

itnesses JOHN E. FISHER, VILLIAM D. CovING'roN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, I). C. 

